


(we are not an) idiosyncrasy

by syllabic_acronyms



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Coming Out, Nonbinary Alex Danvers, Nonbinary Character, Other, alex uses they/them pronouns, mentions genderqueer vasquez, vegan maggie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-10-02 13:18:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10219199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/syllabic_acronyms/pseuds/syllabic_acronyms
Summary: Maggie greets Alex with a hug and a kiss on the cheek and Alex’s heart flutters at the touch like always, even as their stomach starts to knot. It must show on their face, too, because suddenly Maggie is looking at Alex withthatexpression,thathead tilt and Alex swallows thickly at the tightness in their throat.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Based off of this headcanon I sent to queercapwriting http://queercapwriting.tumblr.com/post/158177950334/promised-word-vomit-featuring-nbalex-its-not
> 
> ETA: you can talk to me on my tumblr, [syllabicacronyms](http://syllabicacronyms.tumblr.com)  
> ETA 2: updated qcw's name/url. also new title and minor edits to the text

When Alex gets home from work Maggie is already there, sliding berry cobbler into the oven, her t-shirt dusted with flour and her hair in a messy bun. She’s fresh faced and smiling as she greets Alex with a hug and a kiss on the cheek and Alex’s heart flutters at the touch like always, even as their stomach starts to knot, because after what they have to say there’s the possibility they could lose this. It must show on their face, too, because suddenly Maggie is looking at Alex with _that_ expression, _that_ head tilt and Alex swallows thickly at the tightness in their throat.

“Is everything okay, Alex? Did something happen at work?” Maggie asks softly, asks gently, and Alex steels themself because they can’t put this off.

“No, nothing at work, but there’s something I need to talk to you about,” Alex says, squeezing Maggie slightly in a belated return hug.

“Okay. I was just gonna heat up some leftovers, if that’s good with you?” Maggie gestures to a container of lasagna from earlier in the week. Alex nods and watches as Maggie warms up the food in the microwave, dishes it out onto plates, sets them on the island. She goes back to fridge for sodas, cracking a can open and setting it in front of Alex before sitting down beside them. The second soda cracks, but Alex doesn’t look up from their plate.

“Now, what was it you wanted to talk about?” Maggie asks, and Alex starts, Alex stops, and Maggie puts a hand over Alex’s, the one that isn’t picking at their food. “If you don’t wanna talk now it can wait, okay?”

“No,” Alex says, actually eating a little while they try to remember what they’d planned to say when they ran this through their head. “It’s just… before-before I met you, I had everything pushed down so deep inside, and there’s still things – memories, coming back,” Alex lets out a shaky breath, “and the-the more that I think about it, the more I look back... I might not be..."

Alex’s words dry up on their tongue, the thought trailing off unfinished. It’s a long moment before Maggie’s hand is on Alex’s shoulder, and Maggie is saying “Alex, look at me. What is it you want to tell me?”

Alex looks, and Alex’s wishes they hadn’t, because Maggie’s expression is guarded in that way that makes Alex’s heart ache. There’s no putting this aside for later now, though, so Alex finds the words they need.

“The more I’ve thought about things, I realized that maybe-maybe I’m not a woman,” and Alex looks down, looks away, to avoid whatever expression might work it’s way onto Maggie’s face, “that I might be… something else. Something that isn’t - something… nonbinary. And if that's - if you can't...”

Alex really isn’t sure what they were expecting, but it’s not Maggie’s arms wrapping them in a tight embrace, not Maggie rubbing their back and whispering in their ear, and Alex cries. Alex’s breath hitches, and their body shakes, at the snap in tension.

“Oh, sweetheart, shhh,” Maggie says, “it’s okay Ally, I’m okay with this.” The hands on Alex’s back stop, they retreat, and Maggie is cupping Alex’s face, forcing them to look up. “Is it still all right if I call you that? Call you Ally?”

“Yeah,” Alex says, as Maggie wipes their tears away with her fingers. “I’ll tell you if it changes? But right now I like it.”

Maggie is about to reply when the timer beeps and they both jump a little, the cobbler forgotten until that moment. Alex can’t help but laugh a little at the interruption, as Maggie rushes over to the oven and removes the dessert. The smell wafts through the kitchen, the whole apartment, warm and sweet.

“Hey, Alex, can you get the coconut milk out of the fridge?” Maggie asks over her shoulder.

“Yeah, sure,” Alex says and Alex is up, across the kitchen to the fridge and then over to Maggie with the can of coconut milk in hand, sets it down next to her on the counter.

“Thanks, Alex,” Maggie says as picks up the can opener. “So, before we were so timely interrupted, I was going to ask about pronouns. If you’ve thought about that?” It’s gentle, open, but Alex’s stomach still does a flip.

“I-I’ve only thought about it a little, and I kinda like ‘they’,” Alex says, tentatively. “But I’m not, I’m not ready to...”

“Just for my thoughts, Danvers,” Maggie says, draping her arms over Alex’s shoulders. “I’m not gonna out you if you’re not ready, okay? Never.” Maggie’s voice is soft, her expression heartfelt and it’s just a little too much, feels too good to be true, and Alex is terrified this will come crashing down.

“How-how can you be… why is this okay with you, when you’re…” a lesbian and I’m not a woman, Alex doesn’t finish. Maggie hears it though, in the confusion and worry. She takes Alex’s hands in hers, laces their fingers together between the two of them.

“I can’t say that I wasn’t ever an idiot kid,” Maggie says, “but for me? Being a lesbian isn’t so much about liking women, as it is about _not_ liking men. And you’ve made it quite clear you’re not a man. So you? Us? Yes, definitely yes. These words weren’t made with nonbinary people in mind.”

‘Yeah,” Alex half laughs, even as a few more relieved tears prick at their eyes, “Vasquez said something like that, when I-I said how scared I was to tell you.”

“Vasquez, huh?” Maggie says, eyebrows quirking upward in sync with the corners of her mouth. “I’m glad you have someone to talk about this with, Ally, but now I really need to get back to the whipped cream, okay?” Maggie gestures to the now open can of coconut milk on the counter, next to the mixer. Alex _almost_ teases her about how it’s not real whipped cream, but decides not to. It’s still good, anyway.

“I’ll go put in _Return of the Jedi,_ if you’re okay eating dessert on the couch? Finish up our re-watch,” Alex offers.

“I’m pretty sure we’ll have to watch _The Force Awakens_ to actually finish that re-watch, Danvers,” Maggie says, “but that sounds great. Make yourself comfy, I’ll bring it over when it’s done.”

Maggie is smiling, smiling big, smiling broad, and Alex? They’re smiling back. Because there’s still a lot to talk about, but it can wait. There’s a movie to watch and cobbler to eat. Together.


End file.
